This invention relates to a wall system for dividing interior spaces to smaller rooms or areas and, more particularly, to a wall system including prefabricated wall framing sections to which covering sheet material or plastering may be applied.
It has been commonplace when building interior walls or partitions to individually nail a series of horizontally spaced, vertical studs intermediate elongated lengths secured to the floor and ceiling and serving as stringers for the studs. Dry wall sheeting or lathing and plastic may then be applied to the wall framework. Such method has been extremely time consuming and, therefore, increasingly expensive as labor charges for such on-site construction have increased throughout the years.
More recently, various types of prefabricated or preformed wall systems have been devised. Typically, such systems have included some type of framing to which lathing and plaster or drywall sheeting is then applied. Such systems have tended to be complex and have still required substantial labor for on-site installation. Other problems encountered with systems have included difficulty in the installation and running of utility lines and connections within the wall, the adjustment or shortening of wall sections to accommodate odd-sized areas when desired, and difficulty in securing various wall sections with respect to one another.
Another problem encountered with previous wall systems has been that of providing an aesthetically pleasing support for removable shelving systems secured along the walls. Conventionally known methods require either complicated studs or supporting structure behind the plaster or dry wall surface or application of shelving supports directly to the surface of the wall leaving the completed wall unsightly and aesthetically unpleasing.